Day 2 - The Interview

Ok, so the whole "going straight home and writing until dawn" thing didn't really work out that well. I went home (yes, I succeeded in that part) and called my sister at college to see how she's settling in. Her first college classes were today. It makes me feel old.

Anyway, so I made it home, and talked to my sister, and ate some pasta and promptly dozed off in my work clothes, waking up 2 hours later to realize I hadn't written a single word and it was almost time to call it a night.

My goal was 750 words and the completion of the interview scene, in which my main character is well, interviewed, on a radio show. Instead, I got half a scene and 512 words. Not bad for an hour's work.

I have been putting this scene off for weeks, mostly because everything I know about radio shows I learned from watching the movie How to Deal. And then today, it hit me. I am a fool.

You're probably thinking, "Well, yes, figured that out, can we keep moving, please?" but I am even more of a fool than you could know. My only brother, a music teacher, worked at his college radio station, and I believe he even ran his own show. For all I know, he singlehandedly kept the station afloat and worked 24 hours a day to keep music on the air. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if it was a talk radio show either. But whatever he did, he did work there, and I'm sure he would be willing to make sure my description of the setting is accurate. For a small fee :)

I'm writing this, not because I want you to know that I can be a complete and total idiot sometimes, or because I like embarrassing myself (although with how often that happens, there is no proof that this statement is actually false), but because I want to encourage all the writers out there to use their resources. You don't have to know everything, and you don't have to harass strangers, calling their office and asking if something you wrote sounds like their life, their job, etc. Use your imagination, and then check with someone to see if you're missing something huge. And get to know the people around you. Not only are they probably incredibly amazing and supportive, but they also have a vast wealth of knowledge, and would most likely love to tell you about it. Just don't forget to mention them on your acknowledgements page ;)